Banknorth Names Jeff Nathanson to Manage Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Portland, Maine – Banknorth Group, Inc. (NYSE: BNK) has named Senior Vice President Jeff Nathanson as its new Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. He will report directly to Banknorth Chief Operating Officer Peter Verrill.

Nathanson has been involved in various strategic initiatives at Banknorth since joining the company in 2001. Prior to joining Banknorth, Nathanson worked at FleetBoston Financial in a variety of management capacities, including Commercial Lending, Learning and Development and as manager of the company’s intranet. Prior to Fleet, Nathanson worked with Maine Savings Bank and served on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant to Sen. George J. Mitchell of Maine.

“Jeff already has been a great asset to Banknorth,” said William J. Ryan, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Banknorth Group. “His new responsibilities in Investor and Corporate Communications will again be of enormous value as we strengthen the Banknorth identity in our ever-expanding footprint and further our awareness in the investor community of Banknorth as the ‘Best Managed Bank in America” as recently named by Forbes.”

A resident of Scarborough, Maine, Nathanson holds a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. He serves on several civic boards, including the Cancer Community Center, the Sam L. Cohen Foundation and is actively involved in the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Banknorth Group, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Maine, has $29 billion in assets. Banknorth’s banking subsidiary, Banknorth, N.A., operates banking divisions in Connecticut (Banknorth Connecticut); Maine (Peoples Heritage Bank); Massachusetts (Banknorth Massachusetts); New Hampshire (Bank of New Hampshire); New York (Evergreen Bank); and Vermont (Banknorth Vermont). The Company and Banknorth, N.A. also operate subsidiaries and divisions in insurance, money management, merchant services, mortgage banking, government banking and other financial services. Non-deposit investment products are offered in association with PrimeVest Financial Services, Inc., an independent registered broker/dealer and member of SIPC. The Company’s website is located at www.banknorth.com.

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